Knowing invertebrates through embodied learning

This study examined the learning gains of teaching invertebrate-related content using embodied learning. The aim was to investigate changes in students’ knowledge, knowledge retention, and interest in and evaluation of the instructional approach. A total of 48 fourth-grade primary school students participated in the empirical study. A pre-experimental design was employed, including three knowledge assessments (pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test) and a rating scale to measure student interest. The results indicate that students demonstrated statistically significant improvement in knowledge following the intervention. Although a partial decline in knowledge was observed after three weeks, scores remained higher than those obtained prior to the intervention. Students expressed a high level of interest in, and positive evaluation of, the instructional approach; however, interest was not significantly related to knowledge outcomes. The findings suggest that embodied learning may be a promising instructional approach for teaching science content and highlight the need for further research examining its implementation in science education.